On 22 July 2019, the?12th China-ASEAN Education?Cooperation?Week (CAECW), with the theme of “Enhancing Pragmatic Cooperation and Sharing Development Achievements”, kicked off in Guiyang, Guizhou Province. Mr. Chen Dehai, Secretary-General of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), attended the Opening Ceremony and relevant activities.

Ms. Shen Yiqin, Governor of Guizhou delivered welcome remarks. Mr. Tian Xuejun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education of China, Ms. Nitivadee Manitkul, Representative of the Rotating Chairmanship Country of ASEAN in 2019 and Consul-General of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming, Mr. Touch Visalsok, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Cambodia, Dr. Pout Simmalavong, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Education and Sports of Lao PDR, Ms. Low Yen Ling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of Ministry of Education & Ministry of Manpower of Singapore and Dr. Aung Kyaw Htay, Minister for Development Affairs and Social Affairs, Kayah State Government of Myanmar attended the Opening Ceremony and delivered remarks. During the Opening Ceremony, Secretary-General Chen Dehai launched the “Chinese Bridge” ASEAN Youth Summer Camp in China together with other distinguished guests from ASEAN and China.

From 22 to 23 July, Secretary-General Chen Dehai attended the China-ASEAN Vocational Education Forum & Exhibition of Successful Cooperative Programmes, and the China-ASEAN Symposium on Artificial Intelligence, among other CAECW related activities, and delivered remarks.

During the 12th CAECW, Secretary-General Chen Dehai exchanged views on deepening practical cooperation in education between ASEAN and China with the leaders of ministries of education from both sides, diplomatic envoys of ASEAN countries in China, representatives from Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), as well as higher education institutions and education departments of local governments. Secretary-General Chen Dehai also met with Mr. Zou Lianke,?Director-General?of the Guizhou Provincial Department of Education and Mr. Chen Li, Director-General of the?Guizhou Provincial Foreign Affairs Office, and exchanged views on the future work of the CAECW.

All parties expressed willingness to strengthen ties with ACC to produce more collaborative projects and activities, and make positive contributions to deepening ASEAN-China people-to-people exchanges and building an even closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future.